The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers sit atop the Atlantic Division as they meet Tuesday, Nov. 10 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, with the first-place 76ers at 9-2 and the Celtics half a game back at 8-2. Tip is set for 8 p.m. ET on NBC. The Celtics vs 76ers matchup opens the season series between two of the East’s hottest teams, and it pits Boston’s three-game winning streak against Philadelphia’s current one-game streak following Saturday’s loss at Cleveland.
Both clubs enter with top-two records in the conference standings, and neither has lost consecutive games all season. The 76ers hold the tiebreaker edge at 9-2, but Boston has won eight of its first 10 and is coming off a 117-97 road win over Milwaukee on Monday night, its fourth win in five outings.
Celtics Vs 76ers Game Information
- Date: Tuesday, Nov. 10
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Venue: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
- TV: NBC
- Series: First meeting of the 2026-27 season
Celtics Outlook
Boston has won eight of 10 games while averaging 115.0 points per game, the better scoring mark between the two clubs. Jayson Tatum leads the Celtics in both scoring (27.1 points per game) and assists (7.8 per game), giving Boston a true offensive hub who also contributes 6.0 rebounds per game. Center Neemias Queta tops the team on the glass at 6.2 rebounds per game.
The Celtics have been the more aggressive offensive rebounding team in this matchup, pulling down 14.1 per game compared to Philadelphia’s 10.5, a gap that could give Boston extra possessions in the paint. Boston is also shooting 37.6% from three for the season, well ahead of the 76ers’ 34.0% mark. The tradeoff is ball security: Boston turns the ball over 14.3 times per game, two full turnovers more per night than Philadelphia. Tatum is expected to start alongside the Celtics’ regular rotation after Monday’s win in Milwaukee, their fifth game in the past nine days.
76ers Outlook
Philadelphia carries the better overall record at 9-2 and a four-game winning streak before Saturday’s 119-95 loss at Cleveland, which it answered with a 127-121 win at Chicago on Sunday. Tyrese Maxey paces the 76ers at 26.9 points per game to go with 5.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game, the top steal rate among both teams’ leaders. Joel Embiid leads Philadelphia on the boards at 9.7 rebounds per game, while LeBron James runs the offense as the team’s top assist man at 6.7 per game.
The 76ers’ defense has been their calling card, limiting opponents while posting a team defensive rebound average of 32.9 per game, two better than Boston’s 30.9. Philadelphia is without three frontcourt pieces: center Adem Bona (torso back sprain) is out with a projected return date of Nov. 12, forward Dominick Barlow (torso back fracture) is out until a projected Nov. 18 return, and center Ariel Hukporti remains out following right leg Achilles surgery with a projected return date of Oct. 1, 2027. With Bona and Barlow sidelined, Embiid is expected to carry a heavier frontcourt workload against a Celtics team that already out-rebounds opponents on the offensive glass.
Key Matchup
Philadelphia’s shorthanded frontcourt against Boston’s offensive rebounding rate is the matchup to watch. With Bona and Barlow out and Hukporti still more than 10 months from a return, the 76ers are relying on Embiid’s 9.7 rebounds per game to anchor the interior. Boston already grabs 14.1 offensive rebounds per game, nearly four more than Philadelphia averages on that end, and a corresponding edge on the defensive glass, 30.9 to 32.9, is the 76ers’ one rebounding advantage. If Boston’s bigs generate extra possessions against a thinned-out Philadelphia frontcourt, that could offset the Celtics’ turnover problem, since Boston gives the ball away 14.3 times per game against Philadelphia’s 12.3.
Jayson Tatum
Tatum leads Boston in both scoring and assists, averaging 27.1 points and 7.8 assists per game, and is coming off contributing to a 117-97 win at Milwaukee on Monday.
Tyrese Maxey
Maxey leads Philadelphia at 26.9 points per game and also posts a team-high 1.4 steals per game, making him the 76ers’ primary offensive weapon with Embiid absorbing more rebounding responsibility.
What To Watch
A Celtics win would pull Boston into a first-place tie in the Atlantic Division, where Philadelphia currently sits ahead by half a game. Both teams have alternated losses with winning streaks all season, and neither has dropped back-to-back games, a pattern that will be tested as the loser absorbs its first consecutive defeat of the year. Philadelphia’s depleted frontcourt, with Bona, Barlow and Hukporti all unavailable, adds a roster element worth tracking against a Celtics team built to crash the glass.
For more on Boston’s recent form, see the recap of Tatum’s 34 points against the Hornets and the loss to the Rockets that snapped an earlier winning streak. Boston’s win over the Magic and overtime win over the Nets round out the Celtics’ recent stretch of games.
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